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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22648357">A Story of Birds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dorky_Crow/pseuds/Dorky_Crow'>Dorky_Crow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Romance, Slice of Life</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:28:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,262</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22648357</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dorky_Crow/pseuds/Dorky_Crow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A fanfic all about Mark &amp; Falcon and their blooming relationship.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mark Beaks/Falcon Graves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A very British falcon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Right, so, this is an alternative version of a fanfic I wrote on my tumblr blog, which was also called "A Story of birds", the key differences between this version is that all chapters relating to my OC's have been removed and that this version also has "Compatibility", one of "A Story of birds" expansions inserted into it, so Falcon &amp; Mark's relationship can be fleshed out a bit more, the first chapter of "Avian Machina" is also in here. also, keep in mind that there's a time skip of 2 months between chapters 8 &amp; 9 and a time skip of 2 years between chapter 11 &amp; 12.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He leaned against the wooden door to his house, a sigh escaping his beak from another unsuccessful job, finding work was hard and keeping his mind focused on the job if he was lucky enough to get one was harder still.</p><p>“That damned Mark Beaks” he spat, ever since the job for Beaks ended he couldn’t get the grey parrot out of his mind and it infuriated him but he had no time to dwell on that as he could feel it, an uninvited guest was in his house, he readied his fists, fully intending to slam the intruder into the ground.</p><p>He strained his ears, he could make out two things, one, the clacking of a digital keyboard and second, the crunch of crisps. Falcon’s eyes narrowed at the boldness of this invader! He slowly made his way to the sounds source, the kitchen.    </p><p>As he entered the kitchen, he didn’t find an intruder but something much, much worse and much more annoying sitting on a stool. “Falcon! What’s happening big guy?” the young parrot asked, seemingly oblivious to the complete rage that the older man was showing.</p><p>“Tell me why you have broken into my home before I beat you to death with my toaster” Falcon said, not lowering his fists. “Right so, I need a bodyguard- ““No” Falcon interjected, wanted absolutely nothing to do with the bird</p><p>“what? But you didn’t let me get to my super cool pitch nor the crazy amount of dosh you’d be raking in” he said, finally breaking his eyes away from his stupid phone</p><p>Falcon sighed, he couldn’t be picky, he did need the job</p><p>“Fine, give me more details and how much I’ll be payed then get out”</p><p>“alrighty, so, the job is like, super easy, you’ve just gotta be my body guard for one whole year, 24/7 but, you’ll be payed this much” Mark said, extending the first syllable of “this” as he flipped his phone around to show Falcon. The older bird was shocked when he saw the number, so many zeroes.</p><p>“is this just for the year or?”</p><p>“nope! That’s per month baby!”</p><p>Falcon mentally weighed his options, he could either lose his house due to no money or he could possibly become insane due to exposure to Mark Beaks</p><p>“fine, I’ll take the job”</p><p>“oh yeah baby, Beaks wins” the phone obsessed bird cheered as he pumped his fist “oh, one tiny little detail I forgot, you’ll also be living with me, cool? Cool” he said as he hopped off the kitchen stool, lost in his digital world again</p><p>Falcon wasn’t pleased with that information, far from it but it was too late to back out now</p><p>“just get out”</p><p>Mark continued walking, making a beeline for the front door</p><p>“wait” Falcon called out</p><p>“ugh, what?” Mark wined</p><p>Falcon grabbed the half-finished bag of crisps and shoved them into Mark’s free hand</p><p>“You’ve already defiled them, so finish them”</p><p>The younger bird shrugged, “whatever dude, I’ll see you at 10 AM tomorrow!” he said as he finally exited, with Falcon following him to the door, making sure to lock the screen door and wooden door,</p><p>He sighed deeply, the full weight of the absolute horror he had agreed too now finally became clear, he needed a freaking drink. As much as he would love to down a whole bottle of vodka and forget that whole exchange, he needed a clear head tomorrow and he needed to pack too so he settled on a glass of whiskey.</p><p>He’d have to call his mother tomorrow to let her know that he was going away for a while, maybe ask her to arrange for someone to house sit for the time. The older bird paced, mentally chastising himself for agreeing but alas, nothing could be done now.</p><p>He made his way to the bedroom; he knew he wasn’t going to pack now so sleep was the best idea right now. Sleep provided a repose, but morning came to soon, it always did.</p><p>Groaning, Falcon reached over to silence his alarm, tossing aside the bed sheets and preparing himself for his morning jog, it was only 5 AM, he had plenty of time and besides, nothing gets in the way of his jog. Soon enough, he was in the fresh morning air with his exercise gear on and a bottle of water in his hand and keys in his pocket.</p><p>He liked jogging, he started doing it during his teenage years, one could argue it was one of the things that inspired him to take up weights during those high school holidays. As he made his way through the oh so familiar path, he did every morning, he felt a wave of nostalgia. Everything seemed to be more <em>there</em> then most days, he noticed things that he’d normally take for granted like the wildflowers with the busy bees collecting nectar, or the wind chimes one of his neighbours had or the smell of fresh dew on the grass. By the time he made it home, he was just about to cry over it all but seeing his home was the final blow. The simple two-story house was very dear to Falcon, it was his little private corner of the world well, it <em>was</em> then <em>he</em> had to defile it.</p><p>Funny how you only notice the little wonders when you’re just about to leave them.</p><p>The bird collected himself before stepping into his house for what would be the last time for a while. Right, first thing to do was to call Mother, let’s see, it’s around 6, so, she’d probably be beak deep into the news paper’s crossword.</p><p>And just like always, she answered in two rings.</p><p>“good morning, Falcon dear, what do I owe the pleasure?” the sweet tones of his Mother’s voice soothing to the ear</p><p> “Good morning Mother. Listen, would you be able to get someone to house sit for me?”</p><p>“oh? Have you been hired again?”</p><p>“yes actually. I’m heading back to Duckburg…. for a year”</p><p>“a year? Oh dear…. well, I’m sure I can get Jacob or Felicia to do it”</p><p>“Thank you, Mother”</p><p>“It’s no trouble dearie, just be sure to behave yourself over there”</p><p>Falcon couldn’t help but sigh, here he was, 45 years old and still being told such childish things</p><p>“I will Mother, and I’ll send you a message when I land”</p><p>“I hope you do, now, I have a crossword to finish”</p><p>“right, goodbye”</p><p>“goodbye”</p><p>He snapped the phone shut, glad to have someone to take care of his house while he was away. He began making a mental list of what to take and what to leave as he prepared to make a breakfast of eggs and toast. By the time devoured the last of the food, he’d finished his list. He’d take a suitcase which would hold three suits, two sets of his athletic gear, traveling toiletries, books and other personal items, he’d also take his satchel, that would have his mp3 player, its charger, two more books and his phone charger. Sure enough, everything fit rather well but it was only 7, still had three hours.</p><p>Shower time. Falcon gave himself a thorough cleaning, leaving no feather dirty nor out of place. He needed to show that he was 100% on the ball with this job, and being immaculate was a good starting point, picking out one of the remaining suits in his wardrobe, a classic black double-breasted jacket with black dress pants, white under shirt, topped off with a bright red silk tie.</p><p>He admired himself in the mirror as he combed his hair, if looks could kill, he’d be a weapon of mass destruction. Now, there was almost nothing left to do but wait the remaining hours till the clock struck 10. He made his way downstairs, suitcase clunking on each step, he left it in the hallway, in front of the door. Checking that each door was locked before he settled on the couch, a book in hand.</p><p>The hours ticked away at a moderate pace, as soon enough, a car was pulling up the driveway and an oh-so familiar and grating “FALCON!!” resounded. “Good lord, I’m going to choke this kid” he thought as he made his way out of the house. As he turned to lock the door, the last time he’d be doing in a long while, he sighed, his hand slowly sliding down the door. He was going miss this place but knowing that it would be in good hands put his heart at ease. The old bird quickly checked that the spare key was in its usual place, inside a fake rock in a flowerpot, before he made his way to Mark’s car.</p><p>“Good morning, Mister Beaks” he said as he opened the trunk, gently placing his suitcase inside.</p><p>The younger bird said nothing, merely flashing a side-ways peace sign, beak in his phone</p><p> “Off to a good start….” The grumbled as he shut the boot and entered the driver’s seat, only now did it occur to him that Mark must of drove himself here.</p><p>“Mister Beaks- “he was cut off</p><p>“Woah, woah, woah, big guy, don’t call me “Mister Beaks”” the parrot deepened his voice for that last part “Mister Beaks is my super lame dad, K? Just “Mark” is fine. Cool? Cool”</p><p>“Alright then, Mark, did you drive yourself here?”</p><p>“I sure did! Got some sick selfies too, almost hit another car or pedestrian but whatever”</p><p>Falcon grimaced, he wasn’t letting Mark behind the wheel of anything while he was working for him. The drive to the airport was rather leisurely, once Falcon tuned the constant sound of Mark’s phone.</p><p>“K so, just follow this road, it’ll take to my private jet”</p><p>Falcon did as he was told, and sure enough, there was a private jet. The older bird was disgusted, not because of the jet, because it had Mark’s face painted on the tail wing. The duo made their way aboard, Falcon’s suitcase being stored away in the luggage compartment. With the flight taking a little over 11 hours, Falcon settled into one of the seats and began to read.</p><p>“ugh, Books? In 2017? Gross”</p><p>“not a fan of paper, are we?”</p><p>“err no, why read books about fantasy fake people when real fake people drama is like, 10x funnier?”</p><p>“because gossip is pathetic” the falcon said rather curtly, not wanting to be drawn into a conversation. Although he’d never admit it, Falcon enjoyed the flight, many of his flights to other jobs had been vexing, far too many crying babies, annoying children and bossy adults. Soon enough, they had landed in Duckburg, 8:00 PM local time.</p><p>Another car was waiting for them, Falcon was jetlagged and tired, wanting nothing more than sleep and maybe food.</p><p>“hey, I ordered some Chinese food for us it should be at the front door when we arrive. I wasn’t sure what you’d like so I got you some fired rice, is that ok?” Mark said, he sounded different, but falcon was too busy focusing on the road to really notice.</p><p>Mark’s house came into view, surprisingly, it was a rather modest two-storied home, still a bit big for one person but far smaller than what Falcon was expecting, he was expecting a large, obnoxious mansion. The area around the house was empty, not another house as far as the eye could see. Sure enough, a white plastic bag was awaiting them at the front door.</p><p>Mark quickly picked up the bag “aww yeah baby, they gave me an extra spring roll. Beaks wins. Oh, right, I’ll give you the grand tour of <em>casa del Beaks</em>”</p><p>Falcon merely grumbled under his breath, loathing every minute.</p><p>“aaaaaand here’s the guest room, you’ll be staying here. Don’t worry, the bed sheets are clean, and I put a new air freshener in, like a week ago so it should be smelling good”</p><p>Falcon dropped his suitcase and satchel before following Mark to the kitchen.</p><p>“So, if that fried rice isn’t enough, there’s more food in the fridge”</p><p>Falcon’s eyes narrowed, why is Beaks suddenly caring about someone other than himself? Was Mark playing him for a fool again?</p><p>“I will not be made a fool by you again, so Beaks” the venom practically dripping from his words “answer me honestly, what game are you playing with me this time?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The LCD wall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mark was confused. Game? He wasn’t playing any games, well not right now.</p><p>“Huh?” the Parrot responded, tilting his head to the side.</p><p>This apparently wasn’t the correct response, as the falcon sighed deeply before gesturing to the still unopened fired rice and then to Mark himself.</p><p>“I mean, why are you acting so different from how you normally are?”</p><p>It dawned on the bird just what he meant, “ooooooh <em>now</em> I get it” Mark snorted “Well, do you really think how I behave online and in public is honest? That’s not the real me, it’s more like a character”</p><p>Now it was Falcon’s turn to be confused, “wait, you just pretend to be like that?”</p><p>“uh, yeah? Waddle is seen as a trendy, bleeding edge company so the CEO and Founder must also be trendy and bleeding edge. It’s annoying but it sticks, like a constant Waddle ad in your head.”</p><p>“Ok, let’s just leave it at that for the night. I’m far too tired to process this now but I do have more questions which I will ask in the morning.”</p><p>The two ate in a silence of their own making, neither making any attempt at conversation. Falcon was the first one to finish, throwing the empty container into the bin and dropping the used spoon into the sink. Mark silently watched him walk to the guest bedroom. “God, that suit looks good on him. Those pants make his ass...ets look really nice” he thought to himself before finishing off the last spring roll. The parrot left the kitchen, his bed basically calling him.</p><p>Mark awoke the following morning to a pleasant aroma, just smelling it made his stomach rumble. He rolled out of bed and followed his nose, leading him back to the kitchen. The pleasant aroma turned out to be cooking, Falcon’s cooking more specifically.</p><p>“err what are you doing?”</p><p>“well, since you ate my food when you broke into my house, I decided to eat your food.” The older bird said, turning his head to see Mark “Oh and good morning to you too” he added curtly</p><p>“yeah uh good morning” Mark said as he seated himself on the stool with two plates on the table</p><p>Falcon came over, frypan in hand.</p><p>“So, are you ready to answer my questions, with total honesty?” he said as he served breakfast</p><p>“I sure am, go ahead big guy”</p><p>“good, but first, a quick recap. The persona you use online and in public isn’t the real you?”</p><p>“That’s right”</p><p>“and how you’ve been acting since we’ve landed in Duckburg, that’s the real you?”</p><p>“You got it”</p><p>“Good, now, first question: why did you hire me?”</p><p>Damn it, that was one question Mark didn’t want to hear, he hesitated “well, I do need a bodyguard and ya know, you did take out Waddle security like they were a house of cards. I also hired you because I like youuuuur…. attributes yeah, attributes” real smooth Beaks, he doesn’t suspect a thing</p><p>“My attributes? Really? Last time we parted, I was going to throw you off your own building and you like my attributes?” the Falcon was a tad bewildered at the statement</p><p>“yeah, you’re tough as nails, a no nonsense kinda guy, you’re determined, have a hot accent and you look damn good in a suit”</p><p>“well, you’re right about all of that. Next question, how much take out do you eat in a week?”</p><p>“uhhh….”</p><p>“well, no more, from now on I’ll cook breakfast and dinner”</p><p>“what? I hired you as a bodyguard, I don’t need a nanny”</p><p>Falcon glared, “As a bodyguard it’s my duty to protect you from harm, whether that be people actively seeking to do it or you putting unhealthy food in your body. I refuse to guard a lump of fat and sugar.”</p><p>“ouch, ok, fair enough”</p><p>“If you can give me a list of what you like to eat, I can cook it for you.”</p><p>“a chief and a bodyguard? Man, I hit the jackpot with you.”</p><p>“indeed. Next question: do you work out or do any exercise at all?”</p><p>“that is also a no, I don’t do the whole sweating thing, it’s gross.”</p><p>“well then, would you like to join me in my morning jog?”</p><p>“in the morning? How early is it?”</p><p>“5 AM.”</p><p>Mark’s beak dropped “5?! In the morning?! No way.”</p><p>Falcon sighed “how about coming to the gym with me on the weekends? It’s 2 hours each day.”</p><p>Mark was about to say no when he had a brain wave. Going to a gym means Falcon’ll work out, him working out means he’ll get hot which means the shirt comes off and that leads to Falcon abbs.</p><p>“Yes! Sign me up! but I won’t be doing weights or whatever, just treadmill or that bike thing.”</p><p>Falcon was shocked by the sudden turn around, he went from “sweating is gross” to “I’ll to 2 hours of cardio” in less than a minute.</p><p>“Now, my final question: when are we leaving for Waddle?”</p><p>“ehh, around 10 or so.”</p><p>“what? When do your employees arrive?”</p><p>Mark shrugged, “I don’t know, Waddle works on a come whenever, do your work then leave whenever system” It was something Mark came up with, a stroke of genius if he says so himself.</p><p>Falcon turned his head to the clock, “hmm, it’s seven thirty now and it was a fair drive form the airport to here and I could see the Waddle building when we landed. Accounting for traffic…. we should leave in an hour so go shower”</p><p>“You got it, chief”</p><p>He made his way to the upstairs bathroom, grabbing a fresh towel on the way. Well, so far, his little plan has worked rather well, besides Falcon figuring out that something was up. The plan was a little stupid, but people do crazy things when you’re crushing on someone. As long as he doesn’t blow it, it’ll be smooth sailing from here on out. Mark could tell that Falcon had a crush on him as well, they’ve just got to work on it and get it to grow into a full-blown love.</p><p>Both of them were showered, clean and driving to Waddle within the hour. Mark in his usual cream shirt, black hoddie and light orange pants, Falcon in a similar suit to yesterdays, with a blue tie this time.</p><p>“Do you seriously own one set of clothes?” the parrot asked, not breaking his eyes away from his phone, typing away on twitter in character.</p><p>“I could just as easily ask you the same thing, besides, all my suits are custom made for me, so they’ll all look similar and I just like the colour black”</p><p>“yes, it does look good on you, but I actually own many copies of this outfit, I even trademarked it as a Waddle symbol but more importantly, I am so fixing your fashion sense. You can’t wear a suit everywhere, it’ll just we weird in some places.”</p><p>“Fine, we can go clothes shopping on the weekend”</p><p>“great! I know this great shop, I think you’ll like it, seems like they’ll have something you’d like.”</p><p>The bird pair arrived at Waddle at 9:30, the traffic wasn’t as bad as Falcon thought. The older bird opened the car door for Mark who was in the middle of some stretches.</p><p>“what are you doing?”</p><p>“Hyping myself up, gotta give a bombastic greeting to my workers”</p><p>And sure enough, as soon as they entered the Waddle building….</p><p>“GOOD MORNING WADDLERS!! Have a great day, work hard and play hard!” Mark Yelled as he made his way to the elevator. The employees were…. applauding? were they paid to do that?</p><p>The elevator opened at the top floor of the building, a large hallway with two wooden doors at the end, they opened into Mark’s office. a single desk was against the left wall, with Falcon’s name plate on it</p><p> “Falcon, this is your desk” Mark pointed at the empty desk “if you need me for anything, I’ll be in my office”</p><p>Mark spent the day in the office, slowly getting through the E-mails he has, he was always shocked by how many people sent and this was after they were culled by his secretary.</p><p>But eventually the working day came to an end, at 2 in the afternoon. Mark had also typed up and printed out a list of foods he’d like to eat. He exited his office; Falcon was reading yet another book.</p><p>“alrighty, Falcon, Let’s leave” </p><p> The two of them walked to the elevator. While on the elevator ride, Mark handed Falcon the list. “huh, good choices. Hmm, I’m thinking Bolognese tonight as I saw all the ingredients for it this morning”</p><p>“If it’s anything like the breakfast, it’ll be amazing”</p><p>The drive home was faster than the drive to waddle, thank god they avoided the after-school rush.</p><p>“hey, since we have time to kill, wanna watch a movie with me before dinner?”</p><p>“Well, I noticed that you had a rather large collection of DVDs so why not?”</p><p>Yes! He agreed, perfect opportunity to cuddle. It was the best thing Mark heard all day. The two settled on the couch, Falcon having decided the movie. It didn’t take long for Mark to try and cuddle up to Falcon and to his surprise Falcon didn’t push him away nor move away, he actually moved Mark closer.</p><p>And thus, a weekday routine was born, after work the two would come home, watch a movie, cuddle up, cook and eat dinner before watching another movie then head off for bed. They’re basically on the verge of dating…maybe they’re going to fast but they’re happy.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. An accelerated romance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>Falcon groaned, they’d been here for hours, <em>hours!</em> How Mark could spend so much time shopping for clothes was a total mystery to him, but he’s never seen the parrot so excited before, so it was a fair trade off.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“Falcon, Falcon! Come try these on, they’ll totally fit your style” Mark called him over, with at least five shirts in his hands.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“I’m no closer to even guessing what my style even is and I’ve seen more clothes in the past 4 hours than I have in my 45 years of living” he said as he grabbed the shirts, heading to an open changing room.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“It’s simple, your style is totally “groovy” and “radical” ….am I close?”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“I’m not going to dignify that with a response”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>The original plan was to grab one set of clothes that could be worn in places where a suit would be too out of place but somehow Mark had gotten the idea that Falcon’s whole wardrobe needed an update, the older bird was frustrated enough to leave but he did agree to let Mark “fix” his fashion sense, whatever that meant.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span> Frankly, all the stores they’d been into have been for younger people, people half Falcons age, and the music they played gave him a headache but the latest store Mark had found seemed to be leaning towards older men which was fine for him, he was also glad to hear real instruments on the radio again.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>None of the shirts Mark had picked really stood out to him but the last one, a salmon pink button up, it looked really good. He tried it on and, yup, looked better now that he had it on.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“Hey, Mark, I really like this salmon one”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“wait, what? Really? I figured you’d avoid it like the plague but whatevs. Hmm, I think I know what’ll work with it, give me a sec”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>He heard Mark’s talons click-clack away, he soon returned.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“K, I’ve got more that might go with the fish shirt”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>Falcon opened the door as Mark shoved a dark blue jacket and pants that looked very familiar into Falcon’s hands.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“wait, aren’t these the same parts you always wear just in my size?”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“Nope! My pants are official Waddle made pants, those are just regular chinos”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>Falcon was a tad surprised that there were official Waddle pants. He tried the new clothes and, yes, Mark was right, they complimented the “fish shirt” rather well. He stepped out, rather proud with his new look.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“ooh, <em>Hello</em>, someone call the fire department ‘cause this dude is on fire!” Mark cheered as he walked around Falcon, being sure to check his “assets”. Yep, they looked just as good as Falcon’s tailored pants made them, maybe even better.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“So, you approve?”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“oh, very much so”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>Falcon returned to the clothing room and changed back into his suit, the new clothes in his hands. The amount of money the clothes cost almost gave poor Falcon a heart attack, the shirt was $50 alone!</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“alright, let’s go home” Falcon turned back the way they originally came</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“huh? Wait, wait! I thought we’d get more?” Mark said, tugging on Falcon’s arm</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“Mark, I’d like to get more but it took us 4 hours to get this and it cost over $200, I think it would be best if I-<em>we</em> came back at a later date”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“well, fair enough. It’s a date then! Now, important question: what’s for dinner?”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>Falcon had completely forgotten about dinner as clothes shopping has almost eaten up the whole Saturday with Falcon being lucky enough to goad Mark into a midday Gym season. He had to stop and think for a bit, recalling Mark’s list of foods.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“hmm, I’m going to make some yellow curry, but we’ll need to buy the ingredients first as I’m fairly sure we’re out of what we need”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“oooh, Food shopping with the BG, exciting!” Mark said before he stopped walking</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“Falcon are we-? is this-?” he was hesitating, he didn’t know if asking would ruin what they’d built up and Mark didn’t want to scare Falcon away.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span> Falcon knew exactly what he was trying to ask, and he knew the answer, there was no doubt in his heart. He knelt down to look Mark in the eyes, the parrot’s eyes were downcast. He gently grabbed Mark’s chin.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“Mark Beaks, if you don’t think we’re dating then you are sorely mistaken.” He began “I’ll admit that we’ve reached this point awfully fast but I hardly think it matters as I like being with you, I like cooking for you, I like the excited squeak you do when you beat a hard boss in video games and I like the <em>real</em> you. To put it simply: I love you and I don’t plan on leaving you any time soon”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>Mark couldn’t stop blushing, “did you have that whole thing prepared or something?”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“hmm, I might have but right now we need to do some ingredient shopping”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“right, right” Mark said as he latched on to Falcons free hand</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>He only let go once they reached the car but as soon as they stepped out, he immediately held on again, Falcon was more than happy to let him hold on.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“is this our first date as boyfriends?” Mark asked as they entered, Falcon carrying a plastic basket in his other hand.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“Do you really want our first date to be in a grocery?”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>“I mean it sure is unique and far from the worse place to have a first one, hell, on my first date with one guy, he took me to a pizza place that was <em>infested</em> with cockroaches, one was baked <em>into </em>the pizza”</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>It took all of Falcon’s will power to no throw up at such a disgusting story. God, it made him shutter just thinking about. How did Mark know one was baked into one? Did he eat- STOP, STOP, STOP! Falcon shook his head, dislodging all thoughts of the cockroach pizza.</span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
  <span>The shopping bill was thankfully far less than the clothes, if Falcon was going to buy clothes, it would be from more normal shops, none of that high-end stuff, for suits he was willing to pay more, as a good suit will last forever but for more casual items? It was the cheap but good clothes.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Romance on the back burner</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The duo returned from their first ‘date’, although a date in a grocery is suspect to say the least. Although he meant every word he said to Mark at the mall, Falcon was a tad wary about this whole relationship. Yes, he liked Mark and knew that Mark liked him too, but they’ve only just started to like each other, it was less than a week ago that Falcon said he’d beat Mark to death with a toaster. He knew that he needed to have a serious conversation with the parrot, but could Mark even be serious? He didn’t seem to take the whole kidnapping situation at Waddle all those months ago very seriously. If this situation wasn’t handled with a lot of tact, it would be a complete disaster and…</p><p>“Gravesy? You still with me big guy?” Mark waved a hand in front of the bigger bird’s face, he seemed to be daydreaming. Falcon shuddered as he was pulled away from his thoughts “what? Yes, I’m here”</p><p>“oh good, ‘cause I need your <em>lovely</em> biceps to help with the bags”</p><p>“Mark, there are <em>two </em>bags, what is stopping you?”</p><p>“heh, Beaks don’t do lifting babe”</p><p>The response just annoyed Falcon but he knew that arguing with him wouldn’t help so he grabbed the bags, holding both in one hand.</p><p>“oh yeah! There’s my strong man! Wait, wait lemmie get a selfie”</p><p>Mark crouched down, using one hand to point at Falcon’s arm and using the other to hold the phone, he stuck his tongue out and winked as he snapped the photo, thankfully he kept Falcon’s head out of the shot.</p><p>“#WithTheBea, #Strongboi, #Beakslife and boom! Uploaded for my followers to see!”</p><p>Falcon grumbled; he didn’t understand why Mark had such an obsession with the digital world. Mark sat on one of the kitchen stools as Falcon put away the ingredients, typing away on his phone, oblivious to the proverbial storm that was about to arrive.</p><p>“Mark, could you come here please?”</p><p>The parrot’s head turned towards the couch, seems that Falcon had made his way over there when he finished up in the kitchen.</p><p>“what’s happening?” Mark asked as he dropped onto the couch</p><p>Falcon sighed, he still wasn’t 100% sure if this was the right thing to do but it would be far better to air these grievances now then wait months or years later.</p><p>“before I start, I just want to remind you that I meant everything I said before, I do like you, truly, I do but…”</p><p>Mark’s eyes where downcast, he knew what Falcon was about to say, he was having similar thoughts, they rushed into this as a spur of the moment thing.</p><p>“you think we rushed into a dating relationship, yeah?”</p><p>Falcon nodded, unsure what else needed to be said but to his surprise, Mark let out a small laugh. “Good to know that we’re on the same page then” the parrot said as he reached a hand out to Falcon, “but do you wanna still be friends and see where that takes us?”</p><p>Falcon held onto the hand that was offered to him, “yes, yes I’d like that very much”</p><p>They sat there in silence for a little bit, it was an awkward, stifling silence. The older bird was the first to let go, “I’m going to have a shower, I’ll be back soon”</p><p>There are two showers in Mark’s house, and both are big enough that two birds of Falcon’s size could fit in there and still have plenty of room. It was, to be frank, ridiculous, just another way for Mark to show how rich he was but Falcon couldn’t complain too loudly as he did enjoy the extra room. He was in the middle of soaping up his arms when the door opened.</p><p>“Mark? What are you doing?”</p><p>“what? Friends platonically shower together all the time, right?” he wasn’t even trying to be subtle anymore. The parrot joined Falcon in the shower, he only reached Falcon’s chest, not that any of them would complain about that.</p><p>“geez, do you always shower with the water so cold?”</p><p>“I like the cold; it helps me relax”</p><p>“ugh, lame…”</p><p>Mark grabbed another bar of soap, “hey, could ya do my back for me, big guy? I’ll return the favour”</p><p>Falcon grumbled, he didn’t like having his shower time interrupted but the sooner it was over the better, so he cleaned Mark’s back, ignoring how he moaned, the parrot clearly enjoying this far more than he was.</p><p>Mark wasn’t even trying to be friends, it was clear he was trying to steer the relationship back to “Boyfriends” or maybe he was trying, and this was just how he was? Falcon wasn’t sure what to make of it, as so many things were against them dating, for example, they had an almost 20-year age gap between them and people would find that questionable and dating your boss, isn’t that a bit strange too?</p><p>Falcon shook his head, his own feelings towards Mark having become complicated and no doubt the Parrot was going to keep pushing them towards what he wanted.</p><p>“ooooh Gravesy~” Mark cooed, “won’t you come sleep with me tonight?” did the parrot even know the word subtle anymore? Falcon should have said “no”, he should have gone back to the guest room, but he didn’t, he followed Mark up to the master bedroom and they embraced under the covers.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Coming together</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Falcon’s whole “let’s try to be friends” thing wasn’t working so well, as the two of them had slept together 3 more times in the past week. He needed this morning jog, that’ll clear his head, get it all figured out. Falcon had been living with Mark for a little over a week and it was a far better experience compared to how his last job with the parrot went, so many damn photos…</p><p>His feet pounded on the sidewalk, keeping a steady but fast pace. Ok, so, he liked Mark, hell, he loved him so why did he complicate things so much? If he loved Mark, then why did he go back to friends? Was he embarrassed? Concerned? Confused?  His thoughts are getting murky again. He stopped running, taking a drink from his water bottle, having reached a conclusion. He loved Mark Beaks, damn what everyone else thinks, in a world as crazy as this, why should an age gap or how fast it happened matter?</p><p>  When he returned home, Mark was already eating some toast, the parrot looked up as he approached. “oh hey, how was your- “he couldn’t finish his sentence as Falcon had given him a beak to beak kiss, which Mark wasn’t expecting but was very excited to receive.</p><p>“woah <em>hello</em>, that was some jog!” Mark said as the older bird released his beak, “was that a platonic friend kiss?”</p><p>“no, that was a ‘I love my nerd boyfriend’ kiss”</p><p>“oooh? Back to boyfriends, huh?”</p><p>Falcon grabbed a mug from the kitchen shelf, as he put the kettle on.</p><p>“yeah, I figured why the hell not, we’ve got the affection and we’ve already slept together 4 times…”</p><p>Mark’s eye lids lower, giving Falcon a very sultry gaze, “oh yes, my legs are still sore from your rough treatment.”</p><p>“but, if we’re dating, we should go on a date and I have the perfect place!” Mark handed his phone to Falcon, who stared at the phone. A rave? Mark wanted to go to a rave? He’s never been to a rave before. his confusion was clear on his face, as Mark was quick to reassure him. “don’t worry, you’ll fit in just fine, ok?”</p><p>Falcon returned the phone to Mark, “alright then, we’ll go to this rave of yours”</p><p>~10 hours later~</p><p>Now that he was standing outside of the rave, Falcon kinda regretted coming, as he could both feel and hear the music. He really should’ve brought some pain killers and ear protection. What Mark was wearing was also a bit of a concern, rainbow legwarmers with matching disconnected sleeves, a fish net tank top and bright red short shorts. Falcon himself was wearing his standard “causal wear” as he had no rave gear, which he was perfectly fine with.</p><p>When they entered the club, Falcon had to shut his eyes as the lights were flashing and oh so bright, he was bound to get a headache before the night was up. When he opened his eyes, Mark had joined the crowd of people out on the dance floor, the Parrot’s face being illuminated by his phone. The older bird made his way to one of the many empty tables &amp; chairs scattered around the room, hopping to adjust to the almost overwhelming lights and sound, as right now, he couldn’t even hear his own thoughts. Thankfully, he was able to tune out the sound a little bit, but right now he <em>really </em>needed was some alcohol, that would take some of the edge out of this.</p><p>He walked up to the bar, the bartender was at least 10 years younger than Falcon himself, much like everyone else in the room. It was a tad strange, being in a room full of people young enough to be your children. “one glass of whisky, please” he asked, the bartender just looked confused. “gin?” confusion “gentleman’s sour?” more confusion. He sighed, he should stop before he breaks the young lad, “just hand me your drink list”.</p><p>He skimmed the list, now he was confused, he didn’t understand any of these drinks, not their names or the ingredients and knowing Mark, the drinks would most likely be loaded with sugar. Thankfully, the bottom of the menu said that it was $2 for a can of soda, he wasn’t much of a soda drinker, but beggars can’t be choosers. He nursed his lemonade as he swivelled around on his stool to face the crowd, watching as people came up to order drinks. He wasn’t surprised when he saw that the drinks were basically energy drinks mixed with vodka nor was he surprised by the fact that they used plastic cups over glass.</p><p>By the time he almost finished his drink, Mark had come over. “<em>Gravesy</em>, you haven’t danced with me yet! C’mon, this is meant to be date” he did feel a little bit bad about not spending time with Mark so he let himself be dragged to the dance floor, leaving his almost empty can on the bar. This current song had more rhythm to it, he could dance to this. He kept his eyes on Mark, ignoring everyone else as he let his body move to the beat, but Mark was clearly enjoying himself on a whole other level. By the time the song finished, both of them have worked up quite the sweat. No new song came on, the DJ having finished his set and the new one had to take time to set up. A sarcastic clapping cut though the chatter of the crowd.</p><p>“oh congrats, Marky, so how much did you pay for this one, hmm?” a new voice came from behind Mark, who did not look happy.</p><p>“the fuck do you want, Andrew?” Mark whipped around, glaring at the rainbow parakeet who was now approaching, a bright blue drink in his hand</p><p>“aww, is someone going deaf? I said how much did you pay for this guy to spend time with you ‘cause god knows no one would do so willingly”</p><p>“he’s my boyfriend, K? so yeah, he’s here ‘cause he wants to be! Now go back to sucking dick in the back ally like you normally do”</p><p>The parakeet smirked, ignoring Mark’s comment and approached Falcon.</p><p>“well, hey there big guy, if you ever get board of your little boy toy, hit me up~” the rainbow bird made a grab for Falcon’s crotch, but he didn’t get very close. Falcon grabbed the bird’s wrist and gave it a tight squeeze.</p><p>“he is not my <em>boy toy</em>, he is my boyfriend, now, kindly leave before I break that wrist of yours” he said as he released the wrist, the parakeet didn’t like being rejected.</p><p>“fine then! Fucking idiot!”</p><p>Falcon ignored him as he pulled Mark away, it was time to leave as he knew that staying here would only make it worse. They didn’t get to far before Mark let out a cry, Falcon had just enough time to process what happened, Andrew had thrown his drink at Mark, covering the parrot in the sticky blue beverage. He wrapped his hand around Mark’s waist as the parrot started to scream obscenities. “You fucking motherfucker! I will fucking kill you! You son of a fucking cunt! I’ll rip all your feathers out you goddamn bitch!”</p><p>By the time Falcon pulled Mark out of the rave and on to the sidewalk, the parrot had pulled out his phone and was tweeting up a storm while muttering more obscenities. The drive back home was…well, it was strange to be honest as Falcon had questions, but Mark clearly wasn’t in the right emotional place to answer them. He would let the Parrot cool off for the night before asked them tomorrow.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Bitter-Sweet nostalgia</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mark sat on the kitchen stool, waiting for Falcon to return to his morning jog. He had to tell him why he blew up the way he did last night and who Andrew was. Recounting these memories will hurt and cause pain but of all people, Falcon had the right to know. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long as Falcon was walking in the door. The older bird was surprised, Mark didn’t have his phone on him, he didn’t see it on the kitchen counter either so he could tell that <em>something</em> was up.</p><p>“morning, so…. you want an explanation for last night?” Mark said, not looking Falcon in the eyes.</p><p>“I would, yes” Falcon said as he took a seat across from the parrot</p><p>He sighed, ready for the pain these memories would bring.</p><p>“alright, so, this was years ago now. I had just gotten Waddle off the ground and business was good, money and contracts were plentiful, so I decided to have some fun, go and celebrate that I had made in in Duckburg. That’s where I meet <em>him, </em>Andrew, the slimy bastard…” he spoke that last sentence with such venom, more than Falcon had ever heard but Mark’s story kept going. “he lured me in with his honeyed words, claimed that he’d help Waddle- help <em>me</em>, make me a billionaire like that” he gave his finger a snap.</p><p>“and I, like a total idiot, believed him. For a time, it was nice, he seemed like such a good man and I had fallen heads over heels for him, but he didn’t think of me in the same way and he even moved in with me. One day, I had to leave for an investor’s meeting and these things are a total bore and take hours so told him that I’ll be gone for basically the whole day. When I get to Waddle, half the investor’s don’t show up, they had some other thing come up, so the meeting was over in like 3 hours tops.”</p><p>Mark let out another sigh, he was almost getting to the really hurtful part, the part where he had his heart ripped out.</p><p>“So, I arrive him and what do I see? You’ll never get it. I see Andrew in the middle of fucking gang bang! It’s happening on my goddamned couch!”</p><p>Falcon leaned back, looking at the couch that sat in the living room, it now disgusted him.</p><p>“no, it’s not that couch, I bought that one when I moved here, I took much satisfaction in burning the old one anyways back to the story. So, I threw him out while screaming and crying and he was going through all the usual things like ‘baby, I can change’ or ‘it wasn’t that bad’ but I suck to my guns and got rid of the bastard. But the story doesn’t end there, when I return to Waddle, I find that he’s been sucking money from the company, so I shut him out and have him barred from Waddle and that is where my story comes to an end. A tale of first love and first heartbreak”</p><p> Falcon sat there, not knowing what to say. He hasn’t been in love before Mark, he was his first love, sure he’s used sex before for his job, but he’s never loved before. He reached out a hand and held on to Mark who continued talking.</p><p>“but that doesn’t matter, he doesn’t matter anymore as I have you now and you are like 10x the man he was and a much better pillow so yeah…. sorry I ruined the date…”</p><p>Falcon shook his head, “No Mark, you didn’t ruin the date, I had a pleasant time and it was pretty interesting seeing you blow up at someone”</p><p>“oh please, you threatening to snap his wrist was the true highlight of the night, my big strong gravesy~ but I do wanna make it up to you so let’s do something you like!”</p><p>“are you sure? You’ll probably get bored”</p><p>“hmm true but, I took you to a rave so it’s fair”</p><p>Falcon had to think, what did he want to do? The only thing that really came to mind was tea as he hasn’t had a good cup of tea since he arrived, and he was starting to miss it.</p><p>  “know any good tea places?”</p><p>“hmmm oh! I know this great little café; I’ve heard they made really good tea!”</p><p>“wait, to you mean proper English tea or that god awful ‘sweet’ tea you Americans drink”</p><p>“it’s your English tea, and sweet tea isn’t awful thank you, it’s tasty”</p><p>Falcon wasn’t 100% convinced of the taste of sweet tea but he was looking forward to the tea.</p><p>~Sometime later~</p><p>The café was nestled in an alleyway between two large buildings, it looked so out of place, yet it also seemed to belong there. The first thing Falcon noticed when he entered was just how cosy the place felt, it was a charming little place. Hard to believe such a place could exist in the busy, crazy city of Duckburg.</p><p>Mark, naturally, made a bee line to the longer table that had couches as seats, the tables normally reserved for 3 or 4 people. Falcon sighed, he would of preferred a normal table but he wouldn’t complain about having a softer seat. Not long after he sat down, a waitress walked up, a water pitcher in one hand, two glasses in the other and two menus tucked under her arm. “hello gentlemen, here is your water” She set the pitcher and glasses down and handed the menus to the birds, “Now, I’ll be back soon to get your orders, ok?” “yes, thank you” Mark didn’t respond, his face in the menu.</p><p>The variety on the menu wasn’t much, they had the usual like, chips, garlic bread and soup for entrée, crumbed chicken with salad and chips, a garden salad ect. “so, what looks good to you?” Falcon asked</p><p>“nachos”</p><p>“what?”</p><p>“nachos, I’m having nachos!”</p><p>Falcon cocked an eyebrow, “you sure you can eat all that? It seems like a lot”</p><p>Mark smirked, ready for the challenge</p><p>Falcon was less than impressed, “if you get sick, try to not throw up in the car”</p><p>The waitress returned, Mark ordering his beloved nachos, while Falcon went with a simple garden salad. “ooh, we should get some desert, I’ve heard that these guys make a killer strawberry shortcake”</p><p>“if you can finish your meal, then maybe we will”</p><p>The nachos and salad showed up rather quickly, much to Mark’s delight. The parrot quickly started to devour his food, enjoying the taste of it. Falcon was amazed at how fast the parrot was eating his meal, he’d never seen such vigor from Mark before, well there was that one time….</p><p>Mark let out a satisfied sigh as he ate the last piece of his meal before he licked his beak, savouring all the flavours. Falcon handed him a napkin, “you’ve got more food on your beak”. Mark cleaned the rest off his beak,</p><p>“better?”</p><p>“you missed a spot”</p><p>“where?”</p><p>Falcon playfully poked Mark’s forehead, “right there”</p><p>Mark poked his tongue out “very funny, now, are we getting some cake or not?”</p><p>“hmmm, fine”</p><p>“aww yeah”</p><p>They ordered a slice of strawberry shortcake and Falcon ordered a cup of earl grey tea, eager to see if it’ll be up to his standards. When the cake &amp; tea arrived, Mark quickly used his fork to grab the strawberry slice along with some cake before cramming it into his beak</p><p>“snooze, you lose, big guy!”</p><p>Falcon shook his head, a slight smile on his beak before he took a sip of the tea….it wasn’t bad? It was actually really nice, nowhere near as good as a pot brewed by his mother but good enough. When the two finished up, they decided to hit the town and enjoy a pleasant day together.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Hi-Fi Gamer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze, it was a perfect day and Falcon was taking full advantage of it. He was sitting outside, using Mark’s severely underused patio furniture, using one chair for its intended use and another as a feet rest. He was currently engrossed in a new novel, only coming out of his reading trance to take a sip from the glass of lemonade on the table. But nothing lasts forever, as Falcon would quickly come to realise. He could just make out a slight noise but whatever it was it wasn’t loud enough to get him out of his reading trance, but the sound kept repeating and growing louder and soon enough the source of the noise was standing in the doorway.</p><p>“Gravesy! Gravesy!” Mark said</p><p>Falcon grumbled as he looked up from his book, slightly annoyed, “Yes? What is it Mark?” he asked, hoping that whatever he needed it would be an easy request.</p><p>“Come play with me!’ Mark held up a controller to some sort of console.</p><p>Falcon wasn’t sure what to say, he had no experience with video games, sure he knew that they existed, and that people could make money from playing them, but he never played or even owned one. Hell, he never even played at the arcade in the town he used to grow up in. but if he said no, Mark would whine and complain all day so it would be better to just get it over with. He sighed as he put a bookmark into place and picking up his glass of lemonade, he followed Mark back inside, and he put his book on the kitchen counter and the glass back in the fridge. The duo went up the stairs and Falcon was soon standing before the one room he hasn’t entered, Mark’s private room, Falcon was a big believer in privacy and liked to have a room of his own, which for him was the guest bedroom and he knew that this room filled a similar purpose for Mark. “well, don’t just stand there, come in already!” the parrot tried to pull him though the doorway to some success. He relented and entered the room. Mark’s game room was filled with bookshelves, they lined the walls of the room, each packed full of video games with the respective console or handheld sitting on the top shelf, a large TV took up most of the backwall. Falcon was so far out of his depth that he was basically in a sea trench, he had no idea why Mark wanted to play games with him, he didn’t have a snowballs chance in hell against him.</p><p>Falcon sat down on the couch in the room, it faced the TV, Mark plopped himself down and handed a controller to Falcon before he adjusted himself to be laying his head on Falcon’s lap, his feet dangling off the other side. The TV displayed a character select screen, the older bird moved the right stick on the controller, moving the cursor over the character portraits. As he saw the characters, he was noticing a pattern, the characters were either young looking women with massive breasts or twinkish men. “err, Mark? Any idea who I should pick?” he asked, hoping he’d get some guidance</p><p>“eh, it’s not a big deal really, I’ll probs destroy you anyways”</p><p>Wow, how flattering Mark, Falcon sighed as he selected the random button, Maybe the random number generator would give him some mercy. As Mark fiddled with the stage and some options, he mentioned the controls but to Falcon he might as well be speaking in tongues. This button does this, that button does that and then you have this…! God, it was all so confusing, he might be going cross eyed. Falcon did try in the virtual fight, but it was pointless as Mark was far superior at this, Falcon’s character was obliterated by Mark’s. if this was a real fight, Falcon would win just as easily but in the world beyond the LCD wall, Mark was the better one. They continued playing, Falcon slowly getting the hang of it, but he never won but he did get close. After a particularly close match, Falcon’s eyes moved down to his watch, they’d been at this for 3 hours! Geez, he did get sucked into this game but why did Mark want him to play? Surely, he could play with others online?</p><p>“say, Mark, why did you want me to play?”</p><p>Mark snorted, what a silly question, the answer was really obvious well, it was to him anyways</p><p>“well duh, I wanted to spend some time with you, and I wanted a training dummy to test out some new combos but mostly because I wanted to spend time with you” Mark reached up with his hand and booped Falcon’s beak</p><p>“training dummy, eh? Well this training dummy is going to kick your ass” Falcon smirked, he was getting completive now and he was having fun with this, maybe he’d ask Mark to play with him next time. 2 more hours passed by in a flash, Falcon kept getting better and better as he figured out what each button does, it helps that he’s been using the same character the whole time. He was almost there, so close! Just one more hit...! he did it, he claimed victory at last, it was hard fought and took him 5 hours and might not happen again, but he was proud of himself.</p><p>“winner’s get a kiss~” Mark gave him a quick kiss on the beak. “wanna go again?” Falcon asked, keen to have another match. “oh, you know it babe!” with that the two returned to the virtual fighting. Some might consider a day of video games a day wasted and previously Falcon would of thought the same thing but after tonight, he found them quite enjoyable and often asked Mark to play them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. With Him & Her</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He’d never been this nervous before, sure, he’d been nervous on jobs now and then but never this nervous and especially for something so normal, so mundane, something that all significant others do, yes, he was going to meet Mark’s parents. Mark and Falcon have been dating for 3 months now so it would be good to meet them soon, but it was a two-hour drive and every minute felt agonizing. Falcon felt a hand on his leg, “hey big guy, just relax, would you? It’ll be totes fine”</p><p>“but what if they don’t approve of me? And the age gap and- “</p><p>“woah, woah, woah! They already know about the age gap”</p><p>“You told them!?” that was a real curve ball to Falcon, god, Mark’s parents probably thought he was some creep or something worse.</p><p>“uh, yeah? Dad was pretty shocked, but he came around, he thinks you’re a good influence or something and I think mom’s just glad that I’ve finally brought a guy home”</p><p>“So, you never brought Andrew?”</p><p>“that bastard? Nah, they didn’t even know I was dating till I called them and had an angry, crying rant about him to them. It was an experience let me tell you”</p><p>Well, that did put Falcon at ease as he was a far better person than Andrew so at least he had that.</p><p>“I didn’t expect anyone related to you to move to a seaside town, seems far to…” he paused, he didn’t know what word to use</p><p>“un-nerdy?” Mark interjected “well, it was mom’s idea, ya know, being semi-retired means, you should move somewhere fun. I am <em>very</em> glad they moved here”</p><p>“You? I didn’t think you’d be into swimming unless those phones you have are waterproof”</p><p>“oh no, Gravesy I don’t go to the beach to swim, no I go to- “</p><p>“to perv on the hot guys” Falcon said, sighing over how much of a perv the parrot could be</p><p>“Hey! Don’t get all high and mighty with me! I bet you did the same thing in England…. wait, do they even have beaches in England? Or is it too cold to swim?” Mark said, as he pulled his phone out to google his rather strange questions about England. Mark did have a point though, Falcon, in his youth, did enjoy seeing shirtless men but this was way before he even knew his sexuality, let alone think about it.</p><p>Soon enough, the smell of the sea became stronger and a tad overwhelming. They drove past the big sign that welcomed you to the town of Ruby Cove. Mark began to give directions, leading them to a nice-looking house. Falcon reached out to open the car door, but Mark grabbed his hand, “wait!”</p><p>“what is it?”</p><p>Mark didn’t respond, he glared at the house across the street, “Ok go” Mark released Falcon’s arm as the Parrot did his best to silently side out of the car. “mind telling me what that was about?” Falcon asked as he opened the gate to Mark’s parent’s house. Mark sighed, “the Woman who lives there, Lisa Geb something, is like the worst gossiper in town and she never shuts up. I swear she got me in a half-an-hour conversation, it was disgusting”</p><p>With that cleared up, nothing was stopping them from ringing the doorbell, which Mark was happily to do, “oh, they fixed it”   </p><p>Falcon gulped, he really wanted Mark’s parents to like him. The door swung open and standing there was another African grey Parrot.</p><p>“oooh! Marky Mark! My little baby!” the other parrot threw herself at Mark, wrapping her arms around him and pelting his face with kisses.</p><p>“mom, mom, mom! Please, not in front of my boyfriend” Mark wined; his hair now messed up.</p><p>“oh, right, right.” The other parrot turned to Falcon. “I’m so sorry, where are my manners? I’m Marie beaks, mother to this sweet little nerd. You must be Falcon, it’s so lovely to meet you”</p><p>Falcon was able to see Marie in full now that she wasn’t rapidly kissing Mark, her light brown hair was tied back into a bun and a simple white polka dot mint green dress was all she was wearing.</p><p>The Older bird raised his hand to his chest, “no no, Ma’am the pleasure is all mine”</p><p>“oh, come now, none of this ‘ma’am’ stuff, you’re basically family! Now come inside, both of you!”</p><p>A lovely aroma filled Falcon’s nostrils, the smell of roast beef and vegetables.</p><p>“Mrs Beaks, if you need a hand in the kitchen, I am more than willing to help” Falcon was keen to lend any help he could today, it’s a sure-fire way to get into the Beaks families good graces.</p><p>“no thank you, sweetie, I’m all good and just Marie is fine but if you and Mark could get Peter, that would be great”</p><p>“dad’s probs upstairs c’mon, Gravesy” Mark headed up to the second floor with Falcon following behind. The upper floor of the house was much like the lower floor, it had a cosy, much loved feeling, it was serene.</p><p>“ah, here we are. This is Dad’s study” Mark wrapped his hand around the handle and opened the door. “Father! The world’s best son has arrived! He announced to no response.</p><p>“<em>Dad!</em>” Mark wined as he walked to his dad who was currently hunched over a computer, his headphones blocking out all sound. The parrot reached down and took the headphones off.</p><p>“boo!” Mark said, spooking his dad.</p><p>“ah! Goddamn it, Mark! You scared me” the older crow wheeled around</p><p>“heyo daddio, what’cha doin’?” Mark said</p><p>“well, I was testing out a new part for my computer and I got distracted again ha-ha…”</p><p>Peter noticed Falcon standing in the doorway, “ah, good day to you, you must be Falcon, right?”</p><p>“yes, sir”</p><p>“just Peter is fine, thank you”</p><p>Falcon nodded “I believe Mrs Be- <em>Marie </em>needed you downstairs”</p><p>Peter nodded “you boys have fun up here, lunch should be ready soon” with that Peter left, leaving the couple alone in the study. Falcon looked around the room, it was filled with books and games, the many bookshelves in the room crammed full, the only other thing of note in the room was the computer, which sat on a desk.</p><p>“your dad seems like a nice man, why do you think he’s lame?”</p><p>Mark was confused, when did he say that? “eh?” was his response</p><p>Falcon sighed, “on the day when I first started to work for you, I called you Mr Beaks and you said that only your lame dad is called that”</p><p>Mark rubbed the back of his head, “oh, I did say that, didn’t I? well, I didn’t mean it, it was just a bit but that does remined me, since we’re dating, we need to go over your contract and edit some things”</p><p>Falcon agreed, the contract should probably be torn up as he was most likely going to be fully moving into Mark’s house. The contract did have some other issues that needed to be edited, which Falcon would have brought up when he first signed it, but he was tired, jet lagged and frustrated at the time, so he didn’t give the contact a proper read.  </p><p>After Falcon looked though the room, the two returned down stairs, Falcon would of loved to of seen Mark’s room but this wasn’t his childhood home but if it had to guess, it would probably be just as…what was that word Mark used to describe his teenage self? Weeabo? Yes, just as weeabo as he thought. By the time they returned to the dining room, the food was out, and the table set.</p><p>“there you boys are! Come, have a seat” Marie said, holding a plate</p><p>“oh, Falcon, dear, I feel so silly for not asking you or Mark this sooner, but do you have any allergies?</p><p>“Mom, please, Falcon can eat almost anything plus he’s way to polite to- “</p><p>“I have no allergies; I’ll be happy to eat this”</p><p>“that’s good!”</p><p>A plate was set before Falcon, filled with roast beef and vegetables with gravy being lightly drizzled over the food. The carrot cooked just right, solid enough to be able to stab it with a fork but soft enough that it basically melted in your mouth. The potato had a crunchy skin, but the inside was soft and warm. The beef was juicy and flavourful. It was a perfect meal, Marie could almost match Falcon’s cooking skills, he would need to ask her for any tips.</p><p>When he finished the meal, Falcon leaned back on his chair and let out a groan, he was full and could use a nap, but Peter had a plan. “since we still have desert coming, why don’t we kill some time with some old photos, hmm?”</p><p>“dad, no!” Mark was quick to shut that idea down</p><p>“hey, <em>I’d</em> like to see some baby pictures” Falcon said</p><p>“<em>Gravesy! </em>You’re meant to be on my side!” Mark wined</p><p>But his complaining got him nowhere as Marie, Peter and Falcon where soon gathered around a book filled with pictures.</p><p>“Aww, here’s little Marky” Marie pointed to an egg</p><p>“our miracle baby” Peter said as he held his wife’s hand, both reminiscing.</p><p>The photo album continued, Falcon saw Mark as various stages, as a newly hatched chick, when he started talking, “and he’s never stopped since!” Peter said, first day of school etc. One that Falcon found very interesting was a picture of Mark and his prom date, it was interesting as Mark’s date was a girl. Mark scoffed at the picture “ugh, Kathy Davis…”</p><p>“oh, hush Marky, she’s a good girl now”</p><p>They spent at least 2 hours looking at photos before desert was served, just some simile vanilla ice cream. “soooo…” Marie started “you two planning on having kids?”</p><p>“<em>MOM</em> what the hell?!”</p><p>“what? I’m just asking”</p><p>“I’d like to have a kid maybe in a year or two” Falcon said while Mark groaned</p><p>“oooh, got any ideas on a name?” Marie asked, leaning closer</p><p>“if it’s a boy, Boyd”</p><p>Mark snorted, “<em>Boyd?</em> Really? What if it’s a girl? Girla? Real creative”</p><p>Falcon shrugged, “I like the name”</p><p>After another 3 hours, Mark and Falcon were heading home, Falcon thought the day went well but it bothered him that he was almost as old as Mark’s parents.</p><p>“ya know, Boyd isn’t a bad name”</p><p>“really? warmed up to it have you?”</p><p>“yeah, might be a good name for a thing I’m making”</p><p>That comment was a touch concerning to Falcon but if only he knew. </p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Mechanical heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Falcon mentioned that he’d like to have a child one day, he didn’t think Mark would <em>build</em> one, he was thinking adoption or use a surrogate. The child, Boyd, looked indistinguishable from a normal person, well, except for all the wires and cords currently plugged into him.</p><p>“Alrighy, Falcon, are you ready to meet our son?”</p><p>He didn’t respond, still trying to process all of it.</p><p>“I’ll take that as a yes then” the parrot said as he stepped over to the main computer and typed away at the keyboard, the room suddenly came alive with beeps, boops and the crackle of electricity.</p><p>As quickly as it had started, it had stopped, the room was silent once again the only sound being Marks excited squeal. The little android on the table began to move, it looked like he was stretching. It-no, <em>he </em>sat up and simply gazed around the room, his eyes locking on to Mark.  He disconnected the cords and wires as the little guy slowly lowered himself down to the ground. With shaking legs, the little Beaks made it over to his creator.</p><p>“H-Hello, Dad” Boyd spoke</p><p>Mark hugged Boyd, it worked! His child was alive!</p><p>The two parrots held hands as they came over to Falcon who knelt on one knee to be less scary to Boyd.</p><p>“Hello, Father” he said</p><p>Falcon smiled as he patted the androids head</p><p>“Good morning, son”</p><p>The three of them joined hands as they left Mark’s lab. The two adults supporting the child’s shaking legs. Boyd was amazed at everything he saw, everything was just so interesting, new and exciting.</p><p>The trio made it to Waddle’s main entrance/exit before having to separate, Falcon had to go get the car from the parking garage below. <br/>“Don’t worry, champ, he’ll be back soon but tell me, do you like your dad’s company?” Mark asked, curious as to what was going on in the little guy’s head</p><p>“umm, It’s nice”</p><p>Falcon tooted the horn, signalling that it’s time to head off.</p><p>“Now, Boyd, can you tell me the first rule of car safety?” Falcon asked as soon as the two parrots stepped into the car.</p><p>“Always wear your seat belt!”</p><p>“Good lad”</p><p>Boyd’s face was pressed up against the glass of the window, he wanted to see everything he could, it all looked so amazing to him. All the colours sound and rhythms, he wanted to experience them all.</p><p>  “if you think this is good then wait till you see what we’ve got at home for you, oh you’ll love it!” Mark said, eager to make sure Boyd was happy.</p><p> The Graves-Beaks residence came into view, looking the same as it always did, on the outside at least. The inside had changed a bit, Falcon had moved out of the guest bedroom into Mark’s bedroom and the guest room being converted into Boyd’s bedroom. The whole room was painted yellow, as Mark had read online that it made children more energized to do homework, the bed sheets are now a royal purple, a large toy chest sat at the foot, it was filled with toys, games and plushies. Two full bookshelves lined the back of the room, both crammed with kids’ novels, fact books (Falcon’s contribution) and child friendly manga (Mark’s contribution) with a chest of drawers in between the two and a wardrobe taking up most of the left side of the room. A new desk sat facing the large windows, the desk filled with pencils, pens, erasers and notebooks for all of Boyd’s writing needs. The bedroom was a child’s paradise and to Mark and Falcon’s delight, Boyd loved the room too.</p><p>“if you get hungry, just let me know, ok? We’ll be in the living room” Falcon said to his boy who was excitably digging through the toy chest.</p><p>“OK, father! I love you and you too dad!” Boyd said, positively beaming with pure joy.</p><p>“Love you too” the two new parents said. “God damn it, Mark, why did you make him so cute?” Falcon thought as the two stood outside the closed door, neither wanting to leave but eventually the bodyguard was able to muster enough will power to move himself and Mark away.</p><p>Boyd continued searching the toy chest until he found something that looked fun, a toy train set. He opened the box and tipped out all the pieces, letting them hit the floor. Soon a train track was set up, he kept it simple, it was just a large oval. Boyd excitingly set the train on the track aaaaand nothing, the train stayed still. He frowned, he was pretty sure trains should move or at least do something.</p><p>The android stood up and browsed through the bookshelves for a train book and sure enough, there was one, it was under “T” (Falcon alphabetized everything), he skimmed through the book and yes, trains do indeed move so why wasn’t his?</p><p>“Dad would know what to do, he’s a tech guy” Boyd thought to himself, as he exited the room, clutching the toy train.</p><p>“Hey there, champ, what’s the issue?”</p><p>“Dad, my train won’t move”</p><p>“lemme see…. ah, you just need some batteries, kiddo”</p><p>Mark leaned back in the chair before looking back at Boyd</p><p>“Dad’s about to do something bad so don’t do it, K?”</p><p>Mark inhaled before yelling out “FALCON!” as he was too lazy to get up himself</p><p>Falcon quickly came bolting down the stairs</p><p>“What happened? Is Boyd ok? Are you ok?”</p><p>“everything’s cool, big guy, Boyd just needs some batteries for his train”</p><p>Falcon crossed his arms, very unimpressed with his boyfriend</p><p>“Mark, batteries are in the same place they’ve always been, the bottom drawer in the kitchen”</p><p>“I just wanted Boyd to have an expert on the job”</p><p>Falcon sighed, “come here Boyd, let’s get your train moving”</p><p>As he suspected, the toy needed two AA batteries and the train spun its wheels when it got the power it needed.</p><p>“now, when you aren’t playing with it, be sure to turn it off, ok?”</p><p>“Yes, Father, thanks for getting it working”, Boyd returned to his room, excited to see his train track in action.</p><p>“what? Where’s my thanks?”</p><p>“you didn’t do anything”</p><p>“um, that is totally untrue, if it wasn’t for me, little Boyd would have to walk up-stairs, so I saved him from the leg strain.”</p><p>“actually, I do have a question for you, how on earth are we going to explain Boyd to...well, anyone?”</p><p>“well duh, we’ll just tell them that I made him, he is 100% pure Beaks tech”</p><p>Falcon wasn’t convinced that would work, especially when Boyd started school, if the other kids heard that Boyd was different in anyway, they’d bully him relentlessly. If anyone in this house knew a thing about being bullied, Falcon would know, he had a firsthand experience. Kids can be very cruel sometimes.</p><p>Another concern that was bubbling in Falcons mind was the fact that Boyd was possibly one of the most advanced A. I’s on the planet and people would pay good money to have something like that. Mark could tell that something was wrong, Falcon always got this look when he was getting upset.</p><p>“hey, what’s happening? Tell me what’s wrong”</p><p>Falcon sat down next to Mark before he relaxed onto Marks arm with a sigh.</p><p>“I’m just worried about Boyd, he’s an android that is exactly like us, do you know how dangerous it would be for him and us if word got out?”</p><p>“look, it’ll be fine. Right now, only we know and that’s it, we’ll tell everyone else that Boyd’s a clone or whatever, K?”</p><p>It didn’t make Falcon 100% at ease, but it would have to do for now. Some hours later, Mark went into Boyd’s bedroom to check on him, he was engrossed in a manga.</p><p>“heya Boydie, what’cha got there?”</p><p>“a book about this high school girl who fights the forces of darkness with her friends”</p><p>“Oh? Sailor moon, huh? Man, that takes me back anyways, Falcon asked me to come grab you as dinners ready”</p><p>“aww but I’m just getting to the good part”</p><p>“no “buts” mister, even Sailor Moon needs to eat dinner”</p><p>The little android sighed “okay…”</p><p>Falcon had cooked up sausages, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, Boyd instantly turned his nose up at the sight of vegetables, he was programmed like that.</p><p>“Boyd, you haven’t eaten your veggies”</p><p>“they’re gross” he stuck his tongue out </p><p>“you either eat your veggies, young man or no ice cream for you” Falcon said, he knew that he’d have to be the strict one from the word “go”</p><p>Boyd was confused, “what’s ice cream?”</p><p>Mark scooped some ice cream on a teaspoon and gave it to Boyd</p><p>“mmm! Yummy! Dad, Can I have more please?” he was giving Mark his best “puppy dog” eyes</p><p>Mark was fully prepared to give the whole tub of ice cream to him, but Falcon stepped between the two.</p><p>“vegetables first”</p><p>It hasn’t been a day and Mark was already wrapped around Boyd’s little finger</p><p>Falcon pulled the ice cream tub away from Mark and kept an eye on Boyd while the older bird cleaned up.</p><p>“there, done! Can I have my ice cream now?”</p><p>“you sure can”</p><p>“not too much, Mark, you’ll make him ill”</p><p>The ice cream scoop limit was set at 3.</p><p>The little bird savoured every lick of the frozen treat, he seemed to have quite the sweet tooth.</p><p>Falcon came by and picked up the empty bowl</p><p>“and with that, dinner is officially over, time for this little birdie to get cleaned up”</p><p>It was Mark’s job to wash Boyd as the little guy wasn’t programmed with knowledge of how to do so but he’d learn how to very quickly, Falcon was left with cleaning the Kitchen. The frying pan was the hardest as fat was annoying to get out and he’d be using it in the morning too.</p><p>The light footsteps coming down the stairs told him that Boyd was all clean, ready for bed at 8 O’clock, Boyd was a growing boy, he needed all the sleep be could get.</p><p>The three of them sat together on the couch, ready to watch a movie that Boyd picked, he picked “Atlantis”, but the little android didn’t get even halfway before he started to get sleepy. He tried to protest but that just made him fall asleep faster, so he wasn’t able to put up much resistance when Falcon carried him to bed, with Mark following close behind. The young bird was tucked in, the blinds were closed, and he was given two kisses on the forehead.</p><p>“Goodnight, Boyd, we’ll see you in the morning”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Screws, Love & Existence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>8 hours, he has been alive…no active…no created...? he wasn’t sure what the right word was, but he had been online for 8 hours and yet, he didn’t know who or what he was. He was called “Boyd”, that was what they call him, his “parents”, Mark Beaks and Falcon Graves, he didn’t know why he called them that, it was simply what he was programmed to do. Was there anything about him that was <em>him</em>, anything that wasn’t programmed, that wasn’t bunch of 1s &amp; 0s?</p><p>He rolled out of bed and stood in front of the mirror in his room, in the mirror, he saw himself, or at least what he thought was himself. This body, this little grey parrot body, was it him? Or was the A.I in his head him? Did he even exist? A terrible possibility came into his mind. Was he a toy? Made to be used then discarded when he was no longer fun? He felt a pit form in his stomach, it felt like a weight was pressing down on him.</p><p>He let out a wail, tears streaming down his face, his hands wrapped around his chest as he fell down two his knees. What was he doing? What brought all these feelings to him? He could hear footsteps and the door to his bedroom was quickly opened.</p><p>“Boyd? What’s wrong?” a voice, he couldn’t place who said it. He felt hands wrap around him, a warm embrace, a <em>loving</em> embrace. he kept crying, the pit in his belly having gotten smaller but no less painful.</p><p>When his tears stopped, he finally noticed who was holding him, it was Mark…no, <em>Dad</em>. He sniffled “d-dad, w-why did you make me?”</p><p>Mark rapidly blinked, he wasn’t expecting Boyd to be asking such questions so early into his life.</p><p>“I made you because your Father and I wanted a child”</p><p>“w-will you replace me when you’re done with me?”</p><p>Mark looked horrified, “No! Boyd, your Father and I love you, we won’t ever replace you” Mark ran his hands through Boyd’s hair before sighing, he could see that the little android had more questions “ok, I’ll be honest with you, Boyd, I’ve had plans to make an android similar to you since I was a teen but it wasn’t until I started dating Falcon that the idea of turning that android into my son started to form. You are unlike any A.I that currently exists and even if I make another you, there will still only be one <em>you</em> as you are 100% unique, with your own thoughts, hopes, dreams and ideals”</p><p>Boyd wasn’t fully satisfied with that answer but before he could open his beak, Mark was already talking.</p><p>“you were only born 8 hours ago, you’re still new to the world and the world is still new to you, so as you experience it and grow, you’ll rely less and less on your default programming and more on your own experiences. You’ll grow and change but you’ll always be our little boy” Mark gave Boyd a kiss on the forehead “now get some sleep, you little gremlin” he tucked Boyd back into bed.</p><p>“good night, Love you”</p><p>“love you too dad! And you too father!” Boyd could make out Falcon’s shadow in the hallway</p><p>“good night, Lad” Falcon said as he came to the door, smiling as he closed the door to Boyd’s room.</p><p> “So, what happened in there?”</p><p>“oh, ya know, just a standard existence crisis, happens to everyone”</p><p>“I-is Boyd ok? Do we need to get a therapist? Who do you call for android therapy?” Falcon was far more stressed out about this than Mark was</p><p>“relax big guy, I handled it and you can talk to Boyd about it tomorrow”</p><p>Falcon sighed, he didn’t want to wake Boyd up, but he would be keeping an eye on him, as the last thing he wants is Boyd to be in any type of pain.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. A day out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mark was never a fan of mornings, but he was dreading this morning as this was his last day before he had to return to Waddle, his parental leave was almost up. However, Boyd would be in good hands, as Falcon would be a full-time parent, but Mark was determined to make this day the best one Boyd has ever had. He only just entered the kitchen before he felt a weight press against him.</p><p>“Good morning, Dad!” Boyd chirped as he hugged Mark, he smiled at the little android</p><p>“Morning, champ” he said as he gave him a head pat.</p><p>“I made you some coffee! I hope you like it!” he was handed a yellow mug; it was filled with a light brown liquid. Mark stared at the liquid, just a tad suspicious, he knew Boyd was smart but…</p><p>He took a sip, it was sweet, very sweet, too sweet.</p><p>“Boyd, how much sugar did you put in here?”</p><p>“five teaspoons, do you like it?”</p><p>Oh boy, tough parenting ahead, does he be honest and hurt Boyd’s feelings or lie and must drink the rest of the hot sugar water? Well, he took a third option.</p><p>“I appreciate the thought, but you put in too much sugar, ok? Two sugars max next time”</p><p>“ok!”</p><p>The two of them joined Falcon, who was sitting at the table, reading the daily newspaper.</p><p>“So, Boyd, we have a big day planned for you” Mark said “since I have to return to work tomorrow, your father and I have tried to full this day with fun stuff”</p><p>Boyd’s eyes lit up, a whole day out with his parents? sounds like paradise to him. Falcon finally put the newspaper down, “we’re leaving at 9, so be ready.”</p><p>Sure enough, the family was out the door and away to their first destination, the Duckburg museum. The museum was filled with exhibits, art pieces, stuffed animals, and thanks to scrooge Mcduck, once thought as lost history and artefacts. The museum was currently doing a paid, in depth exhibit about the history of space exploration.</p><p> Boyd wanted to run ahead and explore but Falcon stopped him, “Just a moment lad, we have to buy a ticket if we want to see the space show, you do want to see it, right?”</p><p>Boyd nodded “uh-huh!” he was looking forward to seeing the space show, as space was one of Boyd’s current interests, no doubt spurred on by him reading Sailor moon. The little android was happy to wait in the short line, swaying with excitement.</p><p>“Hi, I’m Boyd!” he said to the older woman at the desk</p><p>“well, good morning Boyd, would you like a lollipop?”</p><p>“yes”</p><p>“yes what, Boyd?” Mark said, trying to drill good manners into his son</p><p>“yes please”</p><p>“good boy”</p><p>The robot bird was happy that his sweet tooth was satisfied</p><p>“now, I’m assuming the three of you want a family ticket, correct?” the woman said as she looked over the three of them.</p><p>“yes, that is correct” Falcon stepped up; he was paying.</p><p>“that’ll be $20, please”</p><p>Falcon payed for the ticked and put them into his wallet, they had two hours to kill before the show opened, and the museum had plenty to do. Boyd turned around and waved at the nice lady, she waved back with a smile.</p><p> “So, Boyd, where do you wanna go first? Mark asked, having to look up at him now that Falcon had holstered Boyd on his shoulders</p><p>“hmm…oh! Oh! Animals, please!”</p><p>“You got it kiddo, away we go”</p><p>When they reached level 4, the animal level, Falcon lowered Boyd to the ground and they both kept an eye on him as he explored the place. The 4<sup>th</sup> level was filled with taxidermized bodies of local and exotic wild animals.  They had fish, bugs, avians, basically any animal you could think off, they had <em>something</em> on it. Boyd came running back to Falcon, “Father, Father! I found you!” he said, pulling on Falcon’s hand. He was led to a taxidermized, wild Falcon, it was a little weird.</p><p>“aww, look, twins!” Mark said as he snapped a photo.</p><p>“I’m gonna go find us!” Boyd exclaimed as he ran off again and sure enough, both Mark and Falcon were pulled towards a taxidermized African grey parrot.</p><p>“what? that does not look like me” Mark said, pulling a funny face “come here ya little gremlin!” he pulled a giggling Boyd in for a one-handed hug as he snapped a selfie with the taxidermized parrot.</p><p>The family continued on, Boyd pointing out things he thought was interesting and Mark taking photos and/or selfies with them, often getting Boyd and Falcon to join him. They barely got halfway through the level before the space exhibit opened. The exhibit, “a history of space flight” was quite the treat as it detailed when space flight was just a dream, something you’d see in movies or books. It also showed off the suits, the ships, all the technology that got these huge pieces of metal in the air. Mark pointed at one of the computers that was used on one of the first space flights, “Look at this old thing! Ha! My phone has better processing capabilities than this piece of crap”</p><p>Unlike his dad, Boyd was absolutely fascinated with all this old tech, he read every fact and info card on them in the room.</p><p>“Father, do we have any books on space technology at home?” he asked Falcon as they left the museum.</p><p>“Hmm, I can’t say for sure, but if we don’t, we can always pick some up for you”</p><p>“thanks!”</p><p>They stopped at a fast food place to grab a bite to eat, it was Mark’s idea as Falcon was against it, wanting Boyd to eat healthy food, not this over produced garbage but it was two against one, as Boyd’s natural curiosity meant he wanted to try it at least once.</p><p>“So, where are we going next?” Boyd asked after finishing his burger</p><p>“we’re going to the local pool, oh, it’s super fun! Just getting to float and relax in water…hm, I should install a pool at Waddle”</p><p>The android didn’t know what a “pool” was but being able to float sounded nice, so he was looking forward to it.</p><p>“Hey, Falcon! Say cheese!”</p><p>“wha-?”</p><p>A flash, Mark had taken a selfie of the three of them, with Falcon in mid-chew, he looked ridiculous.</p><p>“Hah! Oh, I am framing that”</p><p>The older bird swallowed his food before giving Mark <em>that</em> look, even Boyd knew what that look meant</p><p>“oooh, Dad’s in trouble!”</p><p>“Yes, he will be but right now” Falcon grabbed one of the napkins and started to clean Boyd’s little beak, “You have sauce everywhere, honestly…”</p><p>Another flash, another photo.</p><p>“aww, look at you. Mom’s gonna love this one”</p><p>Falcon was relieved when they finally left, the smell of the place was making him sick. The pool came into view, it was surprisingly empty which was perfectly fine for this family. The three of them got changed and Mark dipped right in as he had to get Boyd into the pool. Falcon, meanwhile, was stuck blowing up the inflatable tube they had brought with them, just in case Boyd didn’t know how to swim.</p><p>The little android sat at the pool’s edge, swishing his feet through the water, it did feel nice, but he was unsure. Falcon came from behind him and put the tube on him.</p><p>“Pull your arms through and have a go, we’ll be right here” he said as he joined Mark in the water.</p><p>He wriggled forward and got himself into the water, it wasn’t too bad. He leaned forward and paddled with his feet to get closer to Mark, who was floating on his back.</p><p>“heya, Boydie, what do you think of the pool so far?”</p><p>“it’s nice but also cold”</p><p>“yea, pools are like that but it’s fun, right?”</p><p>Boyd nodded, it was pretty fun, but he did wish he didn’t have to use this tube. He let himself float away from Mark and just enjoy floating. They spent some hours in the pool, just enjoying the water and each other’s company. The drive home wasn’t very long, but Boyd was tired enough to fall asleep on the drive home, he’d tired himself out with all the excitement he’d had today.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Hand in Hand</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It doesn’t look right, do it again. It doesn’t look right, do it again. It doesn’t look right, do it again. No matter how many times he did it over and over again, something was wrong, and it was frustrating. He had to look perfect, nothing could to go wrong today. He yelled out in pure frustration as he yanked his phone from its charger, ready to vent his rage on twitter.</p><p>“Mark? Sweetie is everything ok?” his mom’s voice came through the door, clearly concerned for her son.</p><p>“what? No, go away mom!” he said, his anger getting the better of him.</p><p>The door opened and an annoyed Marie was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips.</p><p>“marky, I know it’s your big day, but you don’t have to go all bridezilla on me, ok?”</p><p>He sighed, rubbing his temples. “I know mom, sorry. It’s just” he gestured to himself “have to look, good ya know?”</p><p>His mother entered the room proper and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“let me tell you a story”</p><p>“does it relate?</p><p>“oh yes, very much”</p><p>“alright then”</p><p>“right, well, I was like just like this at my marriage. Always finding faults with my makeup, hair or dress and by the time I gave up, I was hours late to my own marriage and I was a total mess. My hair was frizzy and frayed, my makeup was running and smudged, and my dress was stained and wrinkled. The worst part was that I was sweating, so I smelt too.”</p><p>“where are you going with this?”</p><p>“what I’m getting at is don’t worry about being perfect for today, let yourself enjoy it. Besides, your husband will see you as perfect anyways”</p><p>Marie took her hand off Mark’s shoulder and clapped them together, “Now, you just relax and let me help you”</p><p>She picked up a water spray bottle, it had enough water in it for what she needed it for, and she sprayed Mark’s face.</p><p>“honestly, how much make up did you put on? Some of it is really caked on” she said as she cleaned his face, having to put some elbow grease behind her wipes.</p><p>Mark wanted to protest, to claim that he wasn’t a kid anymore, that he could do it himself, but he was a newbie when it came to make-up, so he let a more experienced hand do this for him.</p><p>“aaaaand there we go, you look like yourself again!” Marie cheered as she tossed the tissues into the trash.</p><p>“Thanks mom I can han- “he almost said</p><p>“wait, wait! I’m not done yet; your hair could use some water too”</p><p>Before he could even form another sentence, his mom had sprayed his hair and had a comb in hand. It was very soothing to have your hair combed, well, it <em>would </em>be, if Marie didn’t have to fight the many knots in her son’s hair.</p><p>Mark winced in pain, “Mom, that’s not helping, and I don’t wanna bleed from my scalp, it’ll be really award in photos”</p><p>“almost…. got it!” she said as the last of the knots came untangled and was able to comb in a far less painful way. Mark relaxed back into his chair, his eyes transfixed on the pants and suit combo hanging in the back of the room, it was his wedding “dress”. White dress pants, black shirt, white vest and a white bow tie, Falcon was going to be wearing the same but with inverted colors and Boyd was dressed in greys. They had a color scheme and they were sticking to it.</p><p> “I think I’m almost done here, yep! Your hair is now “on fleek” as you kids say” she smiled</p><p>“Mom, no one says that anymore”</p><p>“whaaaat? Really? Darn, there goes my cool teacher title”</p><p>Marie stood back and observed her handiwork, Mark was looking good. It brought tears to her eyes; her little boy was all grown up. Where did all those years go? It feels like only yesterday she was reading him bedtime stories or feeding him when he was a little boy.</p><p>“Mom? Are you crying?”</p><p>She nodded, “now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta set up my camera. Oh, your father will be in here soon to get you to the alter so be ready”</p><p>With that, Mark was alone in his dressing room. Time to get ready. Mark was fiddling with his bowtie when another voice came through the door.</p><p>“Knock, Knock”</p><p>“Dad, you can just come in”</p><p>The old crow oped the door slightly and stuck his beak in, “you decent, son?”</p><p>“yes dad, I have pants on”</p><p>The door was opened fully, and Peter stepped in. he smiled as he saw Mark still struggled to wear bowties, he remembered all the way back to when Mark first had to wear a tie for his school uniform, he’d try to tie that tie until his fingers were almost a pretzel but the young parrot just couldn’t do it. Peter would always have to step in and tie it for him.</p><p>“want a hand there?”</p><p>“please. I hate these things…super lame”</p><p>“there we go, all done”</p><p>“hey, dad?”</p><p>“hmm?”</p><p>“when you and mom got married, was she a mess?”</p><p>“oh, she told you the story, huh? Well, people say she looked bad, but she was, and still is, as pretty as a picture”</p><p>“woah, that’s some relationship goals there”</p><p>Peter pulled his son in for a hug, he was still coming to grips with the fact that Mark was getting married, he still saw the parrot as his little boy who was amazed by a screen saver or who made his own computer at 10 years old.</p><p>“don’t tell me you’re crying too. Geez, keep this up and you’ll be as lame as I say you are”</p><p>The old crow removed his glasses and wiped his tears away, he composed himself.</p><p>“right, son, let’s get you to your husband!”</p><p> </p><p>-POV Shift-</p><p>Although he didn’t show it on his face, Falcon was nervous, but his face was as stoic as ever. He pulled his eyes away from the door Mark would be coming from, focusing his eyes on Boyd, the little Android was sitting on a chair in the front row, his feet swinging in the air, his own eyes looking at Falcon. Falcon mouthed “good lad” to him while giving him a small thumb up, glad he was doing as he was told. The church was far from full, the guest list for the wedding was very small, as it only consisted of Marie, Peter and Amelia. It was his idea, he wanted the wedding to be very low-key but in exchange, Mark could have the largest and wildest afterparty he wanted.</p><p> He could hear it, very faintly, footsteps. His “bride to be” was almost here. Falcon straightened up and shook his head, trying to clear is head of all negative thoughts, wanting to only focus on Mark. When the parrot came through the door, arms linked with his dad, time seemed to stop for Falcon. Mark looked absolutely stunning, there was nothing on earth that could compare to how he looked, not for Falcon. Peter detached himself from Mark and took his seat next to Marie, she was already bawling.</p><p>“hey, big guy, how’d I do?” Mark whispered to Falcon as the pastor began the wedding vows. He smiled, “you crushed it”, using Mark’s own words for a change. Both of them agreed to the vows, “I do” they said, neither wanting to look away from the other.</p><p>“I now pronounce you husbands, may you both have long and happy lives”</p><p>The two turned but before they started to walk down the aisle, they beckoned Boyd over to them and the three of them held hands, wanting to enter the world as a family. In a town as crazy as Duckburg, a family consisting of two gay birds and an android child was far from strange, it was rather normal, all things considered.</p>
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